Portrait of the Welsh Highland Railway by Peter Johnson Hard Cover

Description: RailroadTreasures offers the following item: Portrait of the Welsh Highland Railway by Peter Johnson Hard Cover Portrait of the Welsh Highland Railway by Peter Johnson Hard cover Copyright Peter Johnson 1999 112 pages Contents Introduction5 Acknowledgements6 Bibliography7 1. The Nantlle Tramway9 2. The Croesor Tramway13 3. The North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways19 4. The Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway41 5. The Welsh Highland Railway 1921-4447 6. Welsh Highland Railway Revival - To the Millennium91 Parliamentary Powers111 The Welsh Highland Railway, once it was finally completed throughout, was the longest of the narrow gauge railways, running iron Dinas Junction to Porthmadog. The line's origins date back to the 1870s, when the first section of the line was opened as the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway. The route's completion throughout, however, only dated from the 1920s when, under the influence of Colonel Stephens, the line was extended to Porthmadog. This represented the last major expansion of the narrow gauge network of North Wales. The resulting line was, despite all the high hopes, financially suspect and, even with the support of the Festiniog (in which Stephens was also involved), the line closed completely in the late 1930s. There the story might have ended, but with the growth in interest in the Welsh narrow gauge a society was launched in the early 1960s to rebuild the line. In Portrait of the Welsh Highland Railway, Peter Johnson provides a detailed account of the history of the original WHR up to its closure in 1937. Documents, drawings and historic photographs combine to provide the reader with a fascinating survey of one of the most important - but often ignored - lines in the region. The book concludes with a short section detailing the history of the route since closure and the current restoration project. Introduction There can be no doubt about it. The restoration of the Welsh Highland Railway is one of the Holy Grails of railway preservation. Though it might have appeared to have been an unattainable objective for so many years, the pieces of the jigsaw are at last coming together to make the revived Welsh Highland Railway a reality. The Welsh Highland Railway route itself has one of the most complex histories of any narrow gauge line. The narrow gauge railway link between Caernarfon and Porthmadog, a dream since the mid-1850s, almost became reality in 1923. At this time the completion of the Rhyd Ddu-Croesor Junction link line between the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways and the upgraded Croesor Tramway from Croesor Junction to Porthmadog, provided a route which, terminating at Dinas Junction, almost reached Caernarfon, some three miles away. Only in the 21st century, it seems, will the dream of a Caernarfon-Porthmadog railway become an actuality. Complexity is contributed to the story by more than 20 Parliamentary Acts and Orders obtained in relation to various parts of the route, few of which dealt with it in its entirety; not to mention that the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways became moribund in the 1910s. Attempts by that company to build an extension to Beddgelert, and by the Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway to build the link line were both abandoned, the PBSSR leaving incomplete earthworks which are still to be seen today. The WHR itself was not operated after 1937, its track was requisitioned for the war effort in 1941 and it has been in receivership since 1944. To add further variety, the Dinas-Caernarfon section was authorised at least four times and has been operated on three different gauges! Despite the comparatively recent implementation of the 1923 through route, the prehistory and early history of elements of it include the involvement of such famous names as the Stephenson brothers, Thomas Savin, Charles Easton Spooner and Col Stephens. Spooner's participation explains the early involvement of the Festiniog Railway in the route, with leasing and operating powers being awarded at various times, culminating in the Welsh Highland and the FR coming under common management in 1921 and then the FR leasing the Welsh Highland in 1934. Attempts to preserve and restore the Welsh Highland Railway were first given formal status by the registration of the Welsh Highland Light Railway (1964) Co Ltd, which later became established on the site of the standard gauge Beddgelert Siding at Porthmadog. While this company was unsuccessful in wresting the trackbed from the Official Receiver, it did succeed in raising the profile of the trackbed as the site of a railway to be reinstated, preventing its being taken over for other purposes. Progress in restoring the railway was made, however, when the Festiniog Railway again took an interest, although on this occasion not without some considerable controversy. The Festiniog concept is for a 40-mile narrow gauge railway from Caernarfon to Blaenau Ffestiniog, completing the route of Spooner's vision by starting within sight of the famous castle walls at Caernarfon and reinstating the cross-town link at Porthmadog. Having secured a grant from the Millennium Commission, the first stage -Caernarfon to Dinas - was brought into use in October 1997. The line to Porthmadog should be completed before the 10th anniversary of the publication of this book. With the prospect of Garratts working 12-coach trains on the reverse curves of the 1 in 40 gradients around Beddgelert and through the Aberglaslyn Pass, the Welsh Highland Railway is surely a Holy Grail worth fighting for. All pictures are of the actual item. There may be reflection from the lights in some photos. We try to take photos of any damage. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us. Shipping charges US Shipments: Ebay will add $1.25 each additional items, there are a few exceptions. Ebay Global shipping charges are shown. These items are shipped to Kentucky and forwarded to you. Ebay collects the shipping and customs / import fees. Refunds may be issued if you add multiple items to your cart and pay with one payment. 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Price: 10 USD

Location: Talbott, Tennessee

End Time: 2023-11-09T22:23:16.000Z

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